5 Recent Plays That No One Else Except LeBron James Can Make

LM Otero/Associated PressLeBron James is one of the most athletic players in the NBA.

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Sure, LeBron James is the best basketball player on the planet, but what makes him so good? Not only can he play in the post, but he can run the show similar to that of a point guard. He is the most athletic player in the league and provides some of the game’s most exciting dunks.

This slideshow contains five plays from this season that highlight James’ strengths: dunking/athleticism, his post play, passing ability, chasedown blocking and clutch shooting.

Dunking/Athleticism

There are many plays that could be placed in this category, as James is one of the premier dunkers in the league.

In this video, he is able to hang in the air long enough to switch the ball over to his left hand and slam it down. The Western Conference team is just lucky no one was under the basket when James went soaring through the air.

This video illustrates James’ athletic abilities and shows why he is one of the most exciting players to watch in the NBA. His wild dunks aren’t his most important strength, but they can get the fans on their feet.

Post Play

It’s hard to name many players in NBA history who can play every position on the court. This video focuses on James’ presence in the post, which Denver became aware of very quickly.

This move in the paint works well for James because of his ability to shoot with both hands. When he is backing down a defender, he has the option to finish it off with his right or left hand. This makes him virtually impossible to defend one-on-one in the paint.

Passing Ability

James can back you down in the post, but he can also play the point guard role. His 6.5 assists per game lead the Miami Heat and are also ninth in the NBA. The fact that he’s a small forward with those numbers is even more astonishing.

On this play, he fakes the outside pass and makes the Chicago defender look silly. He sells the fake so well that Chris Andersen is able to enter the paint untouched.

This video is just an example of one of the many plays that James uses to get his teammates involved.

Chasedown Blocking

Perhaps the most exciting part of James’ game to watch is the chasedown block. He is able to pull this off because of his unmatched combination of speed and size.

In this video, he tracks down quick guard Darren Collison with his speed and then smacks the ball off the backboard because of his size and jumping ability.

This highlight illustrates why James is one of the top defenders in the game, and he has the stats to back it up. Per Sporting Charts, he unofficially had 23 chasedown blocks in 2009 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Clutch Shooting

Before winning two consecutive NBA championships, James was doubted by his critics for not being clutch. After winning last season’s NBA Finals with his clutch shot in Game 7, most of them have gotten quieter.

It’s all on the line in this video—do-or-die, all-or-nothing.

With the Heat down 110-108 with time running down, everyone in the arena knew exactly who the ball was going to, and even with a defender playing him tightly, James knocked down the shot.

Sure, other great outside shooters could knock down a game-winning shot, including Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant, but with the game on the line, my bet is going with the two-time defending champion.